The aim of the Go Holiday news blog is to provide daily UK and Worldwide holiday, tourism and travel news, information and comment for consumers and providers.

Tuesday, 10 November 2015

FCO advice opens up Kenyan coast

THE UK’S Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has relaxed its #traveladvice for #Kenya, lifting a barrier to travel to the country’s coast. Now there are no restrictions to travel to the Kenyan coast between Malindi in the north and the border with Tanzania in the south. ‘This covers the main coastal destinations,’ said Kenya Tourism Board managing director Murlithi Ndegwa. ‘We hope that the remaining advice against travel to Lamu will be removed soon too. We welcome this change to the advice, but it provides no guarantee that tourists will return – we need to encourage them, and our tourism minister announced three initiatives geared to helping this happen.’

These initiatives include the waiver of landing fees for charter flights to the coast for the next two years, an incentive of £10.35 per passenger for passengers landing with a charter on the coast, and a waiver of visa fees for under 16s visiting any area of the country.

The aim is to encourage the reintroduction of charter flights with partners who have suspended them and to open up relationships with new carriers, and to stimulate the family market.

Mr Ndegwa says the initiatives will be applied as soon as possible, ideally in time to encourage travel during this winter season.

A global TV and online advertising campaign highlighting Kenyan attractions is due to launch soon.